The Missing Link
by arianna05
Summary: The boys are now in college at Boston U. What happens when someone from their past shows up? What will her presence change, if anything? Actual rating: MA
1. First Meeting

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from The Covenant. All other characters are my own.**

He could feel something coming, closer. The feeling was so strong, it overwhelmed him, making him almost sick to his stomach. There was such a familiar sense about this, that he was certain he could place it. He hadn't felt like this since Chase had disappeared almost 2 years ago. Yet, this was different, something was different, something was unfamiliar, yet the same. The strange feeling that he had, down to the fact that he was visibly shaken.

"Yo, Caleb," Pogue called from the hall.

"Hey, man, what's up?" Caleb answered. As Pogue walked up to him, shook his hand, and patted him on the back.

They had all gone to Boston University, wanting to stay close to home. Reid and Tyler had also attended, along with Kate. Sarah had gone to Harvard and Caleb missed her terribly. Reid and Pogue kept telling him that he should move on, that she probably already had, but he found it difficult to get her out of his mind. Then he saw her.

* * *

She walked through the hall, not paying any attention to anyone, clearly in her own world, but people were definitely noticing her…including Pogue. She had raven black hair and piercing emerald green eyes. Dressed in a blood red halter top and a black leather mini-skirt with matching knee-high black leather boots, it didn't need to be said that she had the attention of every guy that she passed. Of course, she didn't pay attention to any of them, she was looking at one person in particular. And she definitely had his attention. 

"Damn, girl," Reid said under his breath, turning his back to avoid running into both Pogue and Caleb while never once taking his eyes off of her. She smiled at him, her green eyes flashing softly.

That's when he felt it. That cold, makes-your-heart-stop-for-a-second pause that would wake anyone from a dead sleep. There was something about her that he recognized, but didn't. It was hard to explain.

"Hello, gentlemen," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, as she passed them.

Even Pogue couldn't help but stare. It was as if she had captured them all in a split second. Power was definitely seductive.

* * *

She smiled as she continued to walk down the hall. Her first "chance" meeting had gone well, even though Caleb Danvers had been with them. She knew that in time, she would have them right where she wanted them. And that wouldn't be a bad place at all. 

She continued making her way to her next class, then decided to skip for the day. It wasn't as if she really needed to go anyway, she had already gone over the material that they were going to be discussing and if anything, she would get the notes from Kristine.

She took a detour to her dorm room, where she changed into a pair of light blue jeans and threw her hair up into a ponytail. She grabbed her keys and her helmet and headed out the door. She was going to go for a joy ride.

**Author's Note: I welcome constructive criticism so please feel free to add your input. Please remember to be nice and review! Thanks ahead of time! arianna05**

* * *


	2. The Cliff

Pogue wasn't feeling English Lit, so he decided to head out early. Walking out of the Arts building, he fished through his jacket pocket until he found his keys and walked towards his bike. Jumping on, he turned the key in the ignition and sped off. He was ready to have some fun.

It wasn't until he was on the open road that he truly felt at home. So when he hit 120 on his bike, he was in heaven. Or at least the closest to heaven that he could be.

His cell rang and he chose to ignore it. He would check it when he got to the edge of the cliff, the same one that they had lost the cops on that night after the party.

A few more minutes and he arrived at his destination. He put down the kickstand on his bike and got off. Walking to the edge and looking down, he felt the incredible urge to jump, or not, as it might be. He fumbled in his pocket and found his cell phone. It was Kate. He quickly hit the dial button and it started to call her.

That's when he felt it. Something cold, piercing, like a wave of death washed over him. He couldn't place it, but it surprised him. The last time he felt like that was around Chase. He wondered for a second where he had disappeared to.

"Hey baby," Kate's sultry voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Hey," Pogue replied, half-heartedly. There was something about all this that felt weird to him, it was throwing him off, distracting him.

"Everything okay? I noticed you weren't in class," she commented, her voice a little curious.

"Yeah, I just needed to get out. I just wasn't feeling it today, that's all. Figured I'd come out and clear my head. I'll be back before the party tonight, I promise," Pogue smiled, his voice teasing.

"Okay, you'd better. I'm looking forward to it," Kate teased him right back.

He hung up the phone and put it to his lips, resting it there. He pondered the situation. He and Kate had been going out for almost three years, and after everything that they had been through together, the situation with Chase, his jealousy, and his secrets, it was amazing that the two of them had even made it this far. That's why he was thinking of doing what he was planning to do tonight. He had already discussed this with Reid and Caleb and both of them thought it was time. They weren't getting any younger, and they wanted to be happy. Caleb was still trying to reconnect with Sarah—this distance was killing him—and maybe a distraction was just what he needed.

He heard the roar of another motorcycle and looked up to see another biker had arrived at HIS spot. He wasn't aware that anyone else knew about how he liked to come to the cliff, especially seeing as it was another biker. The guys knew, but he knew none of the others rode.

* * *

She hopped off the bike and took off her helmet. She smiled at him from where she stood, knowing that he was stunned. She could see in his eyes that she was the last person that he expected to see.

"Um, hi," he said, running his hand through his shoulder-length brown hair.

She just smiled, not saying anything, and joined him at the cliff's edge.

"So, um," he tried to start the conversation, "are you new in town?"

"Yeah, something like that," she answered.

"Pogue Parry," he introduced himself, extending his hand, which she shook.

"Carmen Matthews," she replied. "So, I know my reason, what's yours?"

He furrowed his brow in confusion. Upon seeing this, she explained.

"You came here. Why? Like I said, I know my reason, what's yours?"

* * *

'_Ah, the old, tell me your inner thoughts game, huh_' he thought to himself.

"Yeah, something like that," he heard her answer. Her voice seemed distant, as if she were further away than she really was. It caused him to do a double take. Had he heard her properly? Could she really read his thoughts? If so, who was she? He had a million questions racing through his mind.

"Whoa, whoa, one at a time," she laughed, smiling, bringing him back to where he was.

"What the…?" he looked at her, eyes wide, backing away. "Who…?"

"I told you. My name's Carmen Matthews. Now, what's your next question. And please, only one at a time. I'm here all day."

"How the…? What the…? How did you…? Who…?" Pogue couldn't finish any of his questions, his mind was still racing.

"Slow it down there, speed racer. No one can answer all those without the full question," she replied, walking back over to her bike, placing her helmet on the seat and watching him.

"FUCK!" he yelled, not knowing what else to do. He was shocked, confused, and somewhat intrigued with this Carmen Matthews, as she said her name was. But who was she exactly?

"You really wanna know?" she asked, dropping her voice and walking towards him once again.

"I just—I just want answers," was all he could manage to say before he fell to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

Carmen watched as Pogue's body fell to the ground in a heap. She smiled, her eyes flashing briefly.

Jumping back on her bike, she could feel that Caleb could sense something was wrong. And that was just what she wanted.


	3. As Close As Blood

Caleb was sitting in the middle of Ancient History class when he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness flood over him. His vision blurred and a fog came over his ling of sight.

He watched, helpless, as Pogue's so full of life body crumpled to the ground and stayed there.

He bolted upright in his seat and looked around for Reid. They caught each other's eye and Reid's eyes flashed black, but only for a split second, knowing that if anyone saw him, they would all be screwed.

If there was one thing Caleb had learned over the years, it was that the Sons of Ipswich stuck together, no matter what happened. When someone messed with one of them, they ALL retaliated. Not only that, but Caleb and Pogue were such close friends, they may as well have been brothers.

The two Sons got up out of their seats and quietly made their way to the door, doing their best not to disrupt anyone. Whereas Reid would usually have been an ass, Caleb chalked it up to him not wanting to draw attention to himself, which was probably best. The less attention they drew, the safer they all were.

Once outside the auditorium, Reid grabbed Caleb's arm.

"What the fuck's going on, man? I could sense you as if you were sitting right next to me," Reid demanded.

"Pogue's in trouble, man. I don't know what's going on, but I will find out," Caleb growled.

"Where is he?" Reid asked.

"Cliff's edge," Caleb answered, knowing Reid understood.

"Son of a…" Reid let his voice trail off. His eyes went black and he began to meditate.

"Reid, cut it out," Caleb growled under his breath, but it was obvious. Reid couldn't hear him over his channeling.

* * *

Reid found himself standing next to Pogue's unconscious body and looked around. He took in the scenery: Pogue's Ducati, his helmet a few feet from him, the edge that he liked to go to clear his head. 

All of a sudden he felt a jerking in the pit of his stomach, then he felt as if he were falling.

When he opened his eyes, he was back in the hallway of Boston U's History building.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? I thought we agreed not to use in public!" Caleb seethed through clenched teeth.

"Sorry, man, I just had to know…" Reid let his voice wander off.

"Then let's go get him, huh?" Caleb suggested.

"What about Tyler?" he asked.

"What about 'im?" Caleb countered.

"Maybe we should---" Caleb cut him off.

"There's no time, Reid. Who knows what happened to Pogue. We need to get there. We can call Tyler on the way," Caleb offered.

Thinking that was probably their best option, Reid reluctantly agreed, and followed Caleb out of the building.

* * *

Carmen made her way back to her dorm room, where she found her roommate and best friend, Kristine. Upon finding out that they had both been accepted to Wheaton, they arranged it so that they were roommates. Inseparable sine 17, their parents almost swore they had been separated at birth. 

"So, how was class?" Carmen joked, tossing her helmet on her bed.

"Boring as usual. You going to Nicky's tonight?" was the response.

"Hell yeah. Gotta find me some trouble," Carmen laughed, causing Kristine to smile.

"So, I see you met the Sons," Kristine made a point of emphasizing the last word.

"All except one," she answered, smiling to herself.

'But that will soon change' she thought, a twinkle in her eye.

"Who's left?" Kristine's brow furrowed.

"Tyler Sims. Keeps to himself pretty much. But I know that'll change. I saw you talking to him," she said pointedly, causing Kristine to blush.

"Yeah, well, I try," Kristine offered.

"You meeting him at Nicky's tonight?" she smiled, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah," Kristine sighed. "I told him to bring a friend."

"Ha," Carmen had to laugh.

"For you, of course," Kristine added.

"No offense, Kris, thanks, but I think I got it covered," Carmen said, winking at her best friend.

"Even if his friend's Reid Garwin?" Carmen should've known better. Kristine could be sly and secretive as well.

'_Hmm_' she thought '_being set up with a Son of Ipswich can't be such a bad thing_'.

Out loud she said to Kristine, "You know what? Why the hell not? I should live a little, right? Even if it is with a Son of Ipswich."

"That's my girl," Kristine grinned. "Trust me, Reid is definitely not boring."

Carmen smiled to herself, having already discovered this information for herself.

While she and Kristine had been talking, she had been busy getting her stuff ready to take a shower.

Grabbing her shower caddy and putting on her flip flops, she got ready to head to the showers.

"Hey, heading out," she gestured to Kristine, who nodded, knowing where she was going.

Carmen closed her dorm room door behind her and started to make her way down the hall. Halfway to the showers, something hit her, causing her to double over.

She swayed for a moment before everything went black and she fell in a heap on the floor.


	4. Careful Planning

Pogue bolted upright from where he had collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.

It seemed like decades before he saw Caleb and Reid rushing to his side. He knew Tyler wasn't far behind; he could sense his energy.

"Dude, what happened?" Reid was the first to ask.

"I don't…" Pogue shook his head, but, getting lightheaded, decided that wasn't the best idea.

"You okay, man?" Caleb asked.

"She…where'd she…she was…" it was as if he had never seen her.

"_She _who, Pogue? What are you trying to say?" Caleb questioned.

"The new girl…Carmen's her name…she was…here. We were talking and then…I don't remember," Pogue answered, running his hands over his face, trying to clear things in his mind.

"It's okay. You just blacked out's all. You feelin' okay?" Caleb asked, helping Pogue get to his feet.

"Yeah, just a little worn out. I wish I knew what'd happened," Pogue replied.

"We'd better get you back to campus, before anyone starts to get curious," Caleb continued, always trying to remain one step ahead of whoever might be watching them.

Both Reid and Caleb helped Pogue up and, once on his feet, he started to feel better, stronger, refreshed even. As if someone had replenished his powers.

'_Weird' _he thought to himself, then remembered what had happened the last time. He quickly shut off his mind in case Carmen was still around.

He followed Caleb and Reid to Caleb's Mustang and got in. He noted that Reid has dialed a number on his cell and that something seemed different with Caleb, though he couldn't quite put his finger on whatever it was.

"Hey, Ty," Reid said, the other two hearing only his side of the conversation. "Yeah, Pogue's fine. Listen, we've got him and we're heading back to campus. Meet us in our room, without Kate."

About to catch crap from Pogue, Reid added, "we need to talk."

Pogue looked at Caleb from the backseat who returned his look in the rearview mirror and nodded. He wasn't sure what was going on either, and maybe it was best for all of them to try to figure it out.

* * *

She recovered minutes after having hit the floor, but not without having been noticed first, she saw.

When she came to, she was in her dorm room, laying on her bed, with Kristine and Eric, the guy down the hall, looking over her.

"Carmen, you okay?" Kristine asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Yeah," she said half-heartedly. "Yeah," she repeated, stronger this time, "I'm fine."

Attempting to sit up, she paused upon feeling dizzy and simply propped herself up on her elbows.

"You gave us a scare," Eric voiced. "What happened? Any idea?"

"I just, haven't eaten today, that's all. I've been so busy that I forgot to grab something and I need to watch it, because if my sugar gets too low, I pass out. That's all. Once I eat something I should be fine," she lied, but it seemed to work for them.

Eric got up off the bed and headed for the door and Kristine for the mini-fridge they had gotten for their room.

"You sure you're okay?" Eric asked one last time.

"Yeah, thanks for being there," she answered.

"Anytime. Later, Kris," he said, closing the door behind him.

Kristine came over and sat by Carmen, handing her a soda and some crackers.

"Eat," she commanded.

Carmen had to laugh.

"Yes ma'am," she laughed, mock saluting Kristine.

"Hey, my girl is not gonna end up in the hospital because SHE didn't eat, ok?" Kristine responded pointedly.

"Okay, okay, I hear ya," Carmen said, putting her hands up, defenseless.

"Especially not when she has a date with one of the hottest guys in the whole university," Kristine added.

"Okay, you got me there," Carmen had to admit, taking a sip of her soda. Upon seeing Kristine's facial expression, she picked up a cracker and stuck it in her mouth.

She pondered the events of the past two hours and wondered how Pogue was feeling and whether or not he was awake yet. She would find out sure enough, she was sure of it.

* * *

Once in Tyler and Reid's room (they had managed to be roomies in college, too), the four boys sat down and the others looked at Pogue intently, waiting for him to start explaining.

"What?" he asked. He was never used to being the center of attention. That was usually Reid's MO.

"You gonna tell us what happened?" Reid was the first to speak up.

"I told you, that girl---" he started, then was interrupted by Caleb.

"---Carmen."

"Yeah, Carmen. She showed up at the cliff on her bike and we were talking and then," he paused as a bright light hit his eyes out of nowhere, temporarily blinding him. He squinted his eyes to shield them, but was unsuccessful.

"Pogue," he heard a voice no louder than a whisper somewhere in the back of his mind. Then it was gone, along with the light.

"Pogue," he heard someone calling and thought it might be the same voice as a second ago. Opening his eyes, he saw Caleb in his view. It couldn't have been him. The voice had been softer, maybe a woman's voice.

"Yo, man, you in there?" Tyler asked, now concerned.

"Yeah, I'll be…fine," he said, shrugging it off. "I'm gonna take a shower."

With that, he left the other three to their thoughts. As he walked out the door, both Reid and Tyler looked at Caleb for some sort of explanation. All he could do was shrug his shoulders.

* * *

Her eyes snapped open and she inhaled sharply. She knew he was fine now, his energy strong and domineering. She could relax and return to her normal.

She laid back on the pillow behind her, closing her eyes again, allowing herself to recover. It always took a while for her to regain her strength after. It was getting easier to control, but Pogue had taken so much out of her that she had had to stop to keep from harming herself.

She had shown herself to Pogue first, knowing that in time he would understand everything. Unfortunately at this time, he wasn't interested in understanding, but rather was interested in finding out who and where she was.

She sensed something else too; a calming sense, washing over her, almost as if it were radiating from him. This was definitely interesting and unexpected.

"Carmen," she heard her name in a far off distance. She looked in the direction of the voice, her eyes closed the whole time, seeing no one.

"Carmen," the voice was a little stronger now, louder, more demanding of her attention. Again, she looked in the voice's direction, but still saw no one.

She froze when she felt a cold hand on her upper arm and came to. Bolting upright in bed, she found herself almost colliding with Kristine.

"Whoa, girl. You okay? You were really out of it there," Kristine said, resting her hand on Carmen's shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, Kris. I'm fine," Carmen shrugged it off, distracted.

"You still gonna take that shower? If so, you might wanna get it now. The guys will be here in about an hour and a half," Kris reminded her.

"Yeah, thanks for reminding…" Carmen let her voice trail off, still distracted.

"Whoa, Car, what's gotten into you?" Kris questioned. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Kris, just drop it, k? I'm fine," Carmen repeated, getting out of her bed, grabbing her stuff again and heading back to the showers.


	5. Date Night

Pogue couldn't get the images out of his head, no matter how hard he was trying. Bits and pieces, as if he were watching a broken movie, flashed in front of his eyes, open or closed. Some confused him, others gave him understanding, still others worried him. Not knowing what any of them meant, he figured the only way to get answers was to go to the source. Only problem was, he had no clue how to find her.

He was so distracted he didn't even notice Kate heading down the hallway in his direction and nearly collided with her.

"Hey, baby, you okay?" she asked, her face full of concern.

"Yeah," Pogue wasn't really ready to play '20 Questions', even if it was with his girl. "I've just got a lot on my mind, that's all."

"Well, okay," Kate responded, a little disappointed, "just know if you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

"Thanks, babe. See you tonight, 'k?" he answered, kissing her quickly on the cheek before he walked off.

He knew he shouldn't have blown her off like that, he just didn't know how to react around her now. Suddenly it was as if they were strangers. He knew they'd always been different; hell, he was a Son of Ipswich after all, but this was different. Almost as if he'd never met her before.

He needed to talk to someone, and soon.

* * *

Caleb had left Reid and Tyler's room shortly after Pogue. He knew everyone would meet back up at Nicky's later; they always did. He figured he would give Pogue some time away from being hassled. 

The eldest, and most level-headed of the Sons, Caleb was often at odds with Reid, the wild, reckless one, and even sometimes with Tyler, who was Reid's best friend. Pogue, however, was Caleb's best friend and confidant. When they were dealing with Chase, Pogue, Kate and Sarah had all been used as ammo to get to Caleb. That had been the last time that anyone had second guessed any of the Sons' loyalties.

He was startled when his cell phone started ringing. Fishing through his coat pocket, he found it and looked at the caller ID: Pogue. Surprised to be hearing from him after his reaction, he answered the phone.

"Hey, man, what's up?" he said.

"You got a few or are you on your way to get Sarah?" Pogue's voice came on the other end.

Caleb shut his eyes for a second. He had completely forgotten that he had asked Sarah to go with him to Nicky's. While she hadn't given him a definite yes or no, she had seemed interested. But with everything that had gone on the past two hours with Pogue, he had totally forgotten to call her and ask again.

"Caleb?" Pogue's voice broke into his thoughts. "You there?"

"Yeah, man," he answered. "I just forgot to call Sarah back to ask about tonight again, that's all. With everything going on, I kinda got distracted, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean," Pogue responded, his voice sounding far away.

"So, what's up?" Caleb asked.

"Can we talk? I just, I didn't want to say it in front of the other guys, but there's something about this that feels off," Pogue stated.

"Yeah, I agree. Talk before Nicky's?" Caleb suggested.

"Actually I was thinking now. I just need someone to help me clear my head," Pogue's response was honest.

"Okay, where?"

"The museum."

Caleb pondered this for a moment. Pogue wasn't that much a history buff and for him to mention the museum seemed more than a little off.

"You sure you're okay?" Caleb questioned again.

"Do you HONESTLY this I would be meeting you at the museum if things were okay?" Pogue snapped.

"All right, all right. See you in fifteen," Caleb agreed.

He made his way through the parking lot to his Mustang, got in the driver's seat, started the car and peeled out.

* * *

When Carmen came back into the room after her shower, Kristine was gone. Taped to the vanity mirror in their room, Kris had left her a note. 

Carmen pulled it off of the mirror, opened it up and began reading.

"_Went to the computer lab. Be back in twenty. See ya then. –Kris_' the note read.

She tossed it on her bed, went to the closet they shared and began to pick out what she would wear.

It took her almost twenty minutes to figure out what she was going to wear. She finally settled on a pair of dark blue Lucky Brand jeans and a Max Azria satin emerald halter that her father had bought for her before he passed away.

'_Always wear the color to bring out your eyes_' he had told her when she asked why he had gotten it in emerald green.

Wearing it now, she understood once again why he had said that. Even without her wearing green her eyes stood out, but when she did, it just made her eyes that much more striking.

She had just barely finished getting dressed when the door opened and Kris walked back into the room.

"Damn, girl, you ALWAYS look good," Kris said, smiling.

"Thanks, girlie, so do you," Carmen answered, indicating Kristine's Tommy jeans and silk spaghetti strap camisole.

"You about ready?" Kristine looked at her watch.

"Yeah. It won't take me much longer," Carmen answered.

"Kay. The guys should be here shortly," Kristine commented.

Carmen smiled to herself. It was obvious that Kristine was into Tyler more than she would ever let on.

Putting the finishing touches on her attire, she began to put on her makeup and then blow-dry her hair.

She planned on making a statement tonight.

* * *

Reid and Tyler began making their way over to the other dorms to pick the girls up. 

"She'd better not be ugly, man," Reid commented from the driver's seat of Tyler's SUV.

"Kristine didn't say. Just said her roomie needed to get out," Tyler offered.

"Well, all I got to say is…" Reid started to repeat himself, but Tyler stopped him.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. 'She'd better not be ugly' " Tyler repeated for him, complete with air quotes.

"Since when did you become a smartass?" Reid laughed, pulling up to the other dorms and parking the car.

"Since I've hung out with you too much," Tyler answered, punching Reid lightly in the arm before they got out of the vehicle.

"Oh, gee, thanks," Reid threw back in his normal sarcastic way.

They walked into the dorm and took the stairs, avoiding the elevator. Reid had a thing against elevators; he had a bad experience with one six years ago---it had stopped and he couldn't get out for six hours. Ever since that day he never took elevators and had become majorly claustrophobic.

Once at the correct floor, they exited the stairwell, Reid following Tyler, who obviously knew where he was going.

"What else have you been hiding from us, Sims," Reid questioned, jokingly.

Tyler blushed slightly, but not enough for Reid to notice. He and Kristine had actually been talking for a few weeks, but had wanted to keep things between them until the timing was right. Tonight would be their actual "first date" and Tyler wanted it to be perfect.

Tyler paused in front of the girls' room and waited.

Reid sighed and leaned past Tyler, knocking on the door. If he didn't, there would be no telling how long they would stand there. The boy needed to grow a pair sometimes. They waited for a few moments before the door opened.

* * *

Kristine greeted Tyler and Reid at the door. Carmen was still putting the finishing touches on her ensemble when Kris opened the door. 

"Hello, gentlemen," Kristine smiled, opening the door wider. "Come in," she gestured.

Carmen watched from the corner of the mirror as the two Sons entered the room. Instantly, she could sense their strength. It radiated off of them so dominantly.

"So, this is what you girls' dorm rooms look like, huh?" Reid joked, looking around at all the pink that Kris had decorated their room with.

"Courtesy of yours truly," Kris answered.

* * *

Reid rolled his eyes. He saw the other girl at the mirror, but she had yet to turn around. She looked cute enough by the outfit she was wearing, but it could be that she was trying to compensate for something else. 

"So, you girls about ready?" Tyler dared to ask, slipping his arm around Kristine's waist.

"We are now," Carmen answered, turning around.

His eyes met hers and he just stared. It was the same girl in the hallway that he had made a point to notice earlier today. The only difference was now her green eyes seemed much more piercing, as if they could see into his soul. They flashed momentarily and he could've sworn she was someone else. A split second later they returned to their normal color.

"Hi, I'm Carmen," she said, approaching him, extending her hand.

"Reid Garwin," he answered, captivated by both her smile and her looks.

"So, Reid, you ready to go?" Tyler asked, fighting back a smile.

"Um, yeah," was all he could manage.

'_So much for thinking she'd be ugly_' he thought. '_She's anything BUT._'

He hung back for a second with Carmen, who grabbed her leather jacket before heading out, locking the door behind them.

"Thank you for the compliment," she said softly to him before she called out to Tyler and Kris to wait up.

"But…I…" he realized he'd never said anything out loud and was confused.

"You didn't have to," she winked, grabbing his hand and walking quickly to catch up.

He was confused, but intrigued. There was definitely something unique about Carmen, he just couldn't place his finger on it. Whatever it was, he was determined to find out.


	6. And So It Begins

Pogue continued to wander the floors of the historical museum, even though he usually hated the place and Caleb had already left.

He recalled bits and pieces of their conversation.

"I can't put my finger on it, Caleb. Something about this seems familiar, yet not," he had said.

"Wish I knew what to tell you, man," Caleb had answered.

"She READ MY MIND, Caleb!" Pogue was exasperated.

"I heard you, Pogue, and I don't know how she did it, or even who she is, but I agree…there is definitely something familiar about her," he had admitted.

Pogue ran his hand through his hair, trying to understand everything. The more he thought about it, though, the more questions he had.

'_She read my mind_' he repeated in his thought to himself. '_Who does that?_'

Almost as if she were sending him a message, he sensed something. Whatever it was, it caused him to pause and look up at the wall behind him. That's when he saw them.

The same piercing eyes that Carmen had, only this picture was old and not yet in color. It showed a burning at the stake of a witch hunt in Salem before the end of the era. Although this picture had been taken before color photos had been discovered, he could sense the piercing of the eyes and knew instantly what he was looking at.

Approaching the photo for a closer look, he saw the caption: '_Grace Marie Cummings, burned at the stake---Salem Witch Hunt, 1693_'.

He took a deep breath and everything began to play in order. He closed his eyes to piece everything together. It was as if years---centuries ---flashed before his eyes at lightening speed, although to him, he had complete understanding. Within moments, he had seen everything that he needed to to understand exactly what was going on.

Opening his eyes, they remained black for a second before returning back to their normal green. He immediately turned on his heel and headed out of the museum, heading to Nicky's on his bike. Something told him that she would be there.

* * *

Reid and Carmen sat in the front with Kris and Tyler in the back as they headed to Nicky's. Reid decided to start the conversation.

"So, Carmen, where are you from?" he asked.

Carmen smiled in the passenger's seat next to him. Knowing that he had been kicking himself for even thinking that tonight wouldn't be worthwhile, she decided to give him the honest truth.

"Salem," she answered, matter-of-factly.

He wanted to slam on the brakes right then. He looked in the rearview mirror at Tyler, who was obviously having the same reaction. Only Kristine didn't seem disturbed by this information.

"Really?" he asked, looking at her curiously.

"Really," Carmen repeated, looking back at him with a straight face.

"So, what…were your great-great-great-grandparents witches or something," Tyler joked.

Reid flashed him a serious look in the rearview mirror which told Tyler to shut up, but he waited for Carmen's response.

"Something like that," Carmen answered without a hint of sarcasm or humor in her voice.

The boys laughed. It was a nervous laughter which ended almost as suddenly as it had started when they noticed that neither of the girls were laughing.

"You're serious," Reid was the first to speak.

Carmen smiled.

"Totally. Kris has known since we were juniors in high school. I'm actually a direct descendent of one of the women who was burned at the stake. I think I'm like her fourth generation or something like that," Carmen explained.

Reid about shit in his pants. Not only was she hott as hell, but she was also a direct descendant of one of the women involved in the Salem Witch Era.

Then it hit him. Everything Pogue had said hit him like a boulder.

"Do you know Pogue Parry?" he dared to ask, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Yes," Carmen had nothing to hide, so she didn't try.

Reid had had enough by that point. He slammed on the brakes, pulling Tyler's SUV to a screeching halt. Shooting Tyler a look, they both got out of the SUV. Reid walked over to the passenger's side, opened the door, and dragged Carmen out of the vehicle.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Carmen objected. "What the fuck's going on?"

"Like you don't know," Reid challenged.

"Actually, no, Reid, I don't know. Care to fill me in?" she retorted.

"You did that to Pogue. You were there at the cliff with him, weren't you?" Reid questioned her.

* * *

'_So they knew_' she thought. '_No use keeping anything back_.'

"Yes," she answered.

"What the fuck do you want? You after us?" Reid demanded.

Carmen laughed. How little they knew truly surprised her.

She could see Reid was fuming. Not only was it visible, but she could also sense his fury. He was fighting very hard to control his anger, it was almost amusing. She couldn't help but smile.

"You think this is funny?" Tyler spoke this time.

"Yes, actually, I have to admit, I do," Carmen responded nonchalantly.

Reid was ready to hit her, she was so smug.

"Bring it on, boy, I'll put you on your ass," she said, her smile dropping as she looked Reid square in the eye.

"You think so, huh?" he challenged back.

"I don't think…I know so," she retorted.

"Is that a challenge?" Reid was looking for a reason to fuck with someone.

"Bring it on, boy," Carmen repeated herself.

"Tyler, take Kristine and leave," Reid commanded.

"No way in hell. She fucked with Pogue, man. I'm not leaving you here by yourself," Tyler objected.

"I can handle it," Reis seethed.

"No. We stick together," Tyler was determined to be there for his brother.

"Don't make me hurt you," Reid didn't want to have to do this.

"Do I need to leave you boys alone?" Carmen asked.

"Shut up," both Tyler and Reid shouted at her.

"Fuck off, Sims. This is obviously Garwin's fight," Carmen shot back.

"You wanna go, Carmen? Keep talkin' your shit!" Tyler was starting to get pissed now.

"Oh, you too, huh? One Son at a time, huh?" Carmen smiled, sardonically.

"Oh hell no," Reid seethed under his breath.

"In time, Sims, in time. Right now, I think Garwin's the more important one," Carmen was intentionally pushing buttons.

"Deal with me now," Tyler growled, his eyes blackening as he sent a black ball of energy in Carmen's direction.

Without moving so much as a finger, the energy ball disintegrated before it ever touched Carmen.

Tyler's eyes returned to normal and he stared in disbelief.

"How the---?" he asked, incredulously.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet, boy. And I suggest if you want to continue seeing, that you take Kris and get the fuck out of here," Carmen seethed.

"Tyler, leave, now," Reid growled, as he started using.

Carmen watched Reid's eyes go black and waited, knowing what was coming. She could sense it, but wasn't sure what direction it was coming from until it was too late.


	7. The Aftermath

**A/N: Thanks to all who have given their insight and thoughts on the story so far. Although I have had to make a few revisions, I think that I am happier with this draft than the original one. A few shout-outs: Draco's Secret Lover...thanks for the time spent reading and your thoughts...Marah, please, stick with this one...it doesn't actually focus mostly on the college aspect...that's just for the time frame reference...TT012, thanks for the great review...hope you continue to like what you read. Again, constructive criticism is welcomed and taken into consideration...any thoughts about where you would like to see this go will also be taken into conisderation...with that in mind, please be fair and happy reading! arianna05**

**

* * *

**

Reid's powers hit Carmen with such force that it knocked her at least fifty feet. She stayed down for a few moments, then Reid and Tyler saw her begin to move.

* * *

Tyler watched from a distance, after Reid hit Carmen with an energy ball, to see what she was going to do.

Then, right before his eyes, Reid and Carmen disappeared. Just vanished, like into thin air.

* * *

Reid could see everything going on even though he was using. When he saw the edges of reality begin to blur, he stopped; his eyes returning normal.

"What the fuck?" he yelled.

It took Carmen a moment to recover. It always drained her when she had to block out reality.

As she got up, Reid rushed over to her and grabbed her by the throat.

"What did you do?" he wanted nothing more than to see her suffer at this time.

"I suggest…you…let me go…now," Carmen choked out, trying to catch her breath.

"And if I don't?" Reid threw back.

"I would suggest you do," Carmen retorted.

Reid started to feel dizzy all of a sudden. He stumbled for a split second, his grip loosening, allowing Carmen to recover and get away from him.

Everything hit him like a round of punches to his gut. He saw his father in his younger days, before his powers had killed him—using --- battling the Putnam family. He saw Caleb's father also, then Pogue's, and lastly, Tyler's, as they all came together to destroy what was left of the Putnam's. Then, black—nothing—total darkness.

Another flash of light and he saw Caleb and Chase in the old Putnam barn, two years ago. He watched as Caleb lay, near death, as Chase tried to get him to will his powers.

"I…will…you…nothing," he heard Caleb say through the rain and wind, as if he himself were there. Then, black, once again.

Another flash of light; this one bringing him to his knees. A mother, giving birth to a baby boy, then another, both with blonde hair and blue eyes. One—taken before the mother even knew—the other, given the name Reid Monroe Garwin and raised as such.

He lost it. Now knowing how to react to the visions he was being shows, he blacked out.

* * *

Carmen released her powers and reality came flooding back in. she fell to her knees herself, physically and mentally drained from showing Reid what she knew he needed to understand his purpose—and her presence.

Knowing that she would recover before Reid, she made her way slowly to her feet.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Tyler growled, speeding past her to Reid's side.

"Don't worry about him, he'll be fine; he just needs a minute," Carmen explained.

"The hell he is!" Tyler yelled back.

"Trust me, Sims. You WANT to leave him alone right now. He's still taking everything in. just give him a moment," Carmen explained.

As she continued walking towards the SUV, she yelled back to Tyler, "Oh, and you may want to drive."

She opened the passenger's side door and slowly climbed back in, closing the door behind her.

"You okay? You look a little drained, Car," Kristine commented.

Realizing that Kris had never seen her use her powers, she quickly spun around in her seat, her head spinning momentarily.

"Kris, I'm so sorry you had to see that," Carmen started, but stopped, seeing the confused look on her face.

"See what? The last thing I remember is Reid and Tyler arguing with you, then I guess I must've hit my head on something, because I just woke up a few minutes ago and my head is killing me," Kris said, rubbing the back of her head lightly and wincing.

Carmen took this information in. It couldn't have been her—she was too busy dealing with Reid to have been able to shield Kristine, and Reid's powers were focused on her, so it couldn't have been him, either. That only left one person…

She practically jumped out of the vehicle and ran over to Tyler, who was helping a still recovering Reid to his feet.

"You shielded her," Carmen stated, knowing he would know what she was talking about.

"NO," Tyler retorted. "I shielded US. I couldn't risk exposing us—our powers, our true selves—to someone when I don't know if they can handle it. So, no, I wasn't protecting you, I was protecting the Sons. ALL of them," Tyler protested.

"Still, I appreciate it," Carmen said, honestly, having gained a newfound respect for Tyler.

"Whatever. Just help me with Reid, k?" he answered.

The two of them together were able to get Reid into the backseat of Tyler's SUV, where Kris gave them a questioning look.

"What happened to him?" she asked.

"He fell," Tyler and Carmen responded simultaneously.

Confused, Kris just shrugged it off.

After closing Reid's door and beginning to walk back over to the passenger side, Tyler grabbed Carmen's arm, stopping her.

"You gots a lot of explaining to do, woman," he growled under his breath.

"In time, Sims, in time," Carmen answered.

* * *

Pogue, Caleb, and Kate were already at Nicky's when the other four entered.

Caleb almost bowled over from the energy emanating from the corner of the room. Turning around, he saw Tyler and Reid, followed closely by a girl that he had been seeing Tyler with and the new girl. His eyes flashed for a second as he caught her gaze. He hadn't meant to do it—after all, he was the one always telling the others to watch it.

He saw her eyes narrow and flash green in response to his. For a second he could've sworn he saw something else, but shook it off.

He tapped Pogue on the shoulder, causing him to turn and look in the same direction as Caleb. Pogue scoffed. Caleb and Pogue began making their way through the crowd, sans Kate, to where Reid, Tyler, Kris and Carmen all stood.

"Hey, bro, you okay? You look a little preoccupied," Caleb said to Reid.

"He's fine," Carmen answered, her voice slightly commanding.

"I was talking to my brother, thanks," Caleb shot back.

'_Not here,_' he heard somewhere in the back of his mind.

"Excuse me?" he asked aloud.

'_I said, not here,_' again he heard, this time louder, more assertive.

He was unaware that any of the Sons could speak to each other's minds, so it couldn't have been any of them. That only left one person. Carmen.

Before he could make his way to her, he felt himself being shoved to the side and saw Pogue grab Carmen by the wrist.

"We need to talk," he said in his lowered voice.

"No, I don't think we do," Carmen argued back, pulling her arm free.

"I beg to differ," Pogue continued to argue, grabbing her arm itself this time.

"I don't. And while you're at it, why don't you let me go," Carmen continued to fight back.

"Not until I get answers," Pogue wasn't going to let her disappear. He had too many questions.

"Later," she responded with forcefulness in her voice.

"No, now."

Reid stepped in at this point, having heard enough bickering between the two of them.

"She said later, Parry," was the only thing he said.

"Don't tell me you--" Pogue started, but Reid cut him off.

"I have plenty of questions myself, Pogue. But Carmen's right, Nicky's is NOT the place," Reid had lowered his voice and stared Pogue right in the eyes.

Pogue let go of Carmen's arm and stormed off.

"Thanks for that," Carmen said, turning to Reid.

"Don't think you're off the hook. We ALL have questions, and we ALL want answers," Reid answered, then walked off to the pool table where the others were, leaving her standing alone.


	8. The Challenge

Caleb wasn't sure he trusted her. First Pogue, now Reid. Even Tyler seemed different around her, as if tiptoeing on broken glass. Something had to be done about this…and soon.

"What's up, man?" he asked as he saw a very angry Pogue approached the table.

" 'Not here', huh? Well then, where?" Pogue responded, complete with air quotes.

"What are you talking about?" Caleb asked, confused.

"He's pissed 'cause Carmen won't tell him what he wants to know," Reid answered for Pogue as he approached the pool table.

Caleb shot a look in Carmen's direction and, noticing that her direction was elsewhere, he was thankful for it.

"Like what?" he asked, turning back around and noticing that Tyler was the only Son** not** at the pool table.

"What we discussed earlier. I'm telling you, man," Pogue said, turning to Reid, "I'm not sure what it is, but I know something's up with her."

"Yeah," Reid responded, his back against the table and his gaze on Carmen.

"What's happened to you, bro?" Pogue noticed what Caleb had seen earlier. "You wanna talk about it?"

Reid barely heard him and responded only when Pogue snapped his fingers in front of Reid's face.

"Yo, Garwin, you in there?" Pogue asked, starting to get concerned.

"Yeah," Reid answered, turning his attention away from Carmen. He had to admit, though, it was difficult. There was just something about her that kept his fascination. He couldn't explain exactly what it was, but it was captivating.

"What's up with you, Garwin?" Caleb asked. "More so, what's gotten into baby boy over there," he added, nodding in Tyler's direction.

All three of them looked over to where Tyler and Kris were on the dance floor. It was obvious that there was more between the two of them than Tyler had indicated.

"Check it out," Reid nudged Pogue in the side, smiling and nodding in Tyler and Kris's direction.

Pogue couldn't help but smile. It was nice to know one of the Sons could still enjoy themselves amidst everything.

It was only when Kate approached Pogue did he feel like the night could return to normal.

* * *

Carmen watched the boys from across the room, knowing each one had their own questions for her; knowing that, in time, they would all have their individual, as well as collective, answers.

Her eyes drifted to the dance floor, where she saw Tyler and Kris and smiled. She was glad to see her friend was enjoying herself, oblivious to the goings-on surrounding her.

"Hey gorgeous," some cheap-cologne smelling guy approached her and smiled.

"Not tonight, boy," she answered, trying to scan for Reid across the room.

"Looking for someone?" a voice said, sauntering up to her.

She looked, surprised, to see Reid at her side. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, kissing her on the cheek.

"Get lost, Abbot," he commented, taking Carmen by the hand and leading her away.

"Okay, while thank you for the save, I thought you were pissed at me," Carmen responded.

"I am and you're not off the hook, not by a long shot; but I wasn't gonna let Aaron think he had a chance," Reid explained.

"So what are you saying, that you've already 'staked your claim'?" Carmen smiled.

"Not even. But if I choose to do so, you'll know. Now, care to shoot some pool?" he asked, leading her over to the same table where Caleb and Pogue were.

* * *

Pogue had spotted them making their way through the crowd towards the table first. He tapped Caleb on the arm, causing him to turn around.

"What the hell does he think he's doing, bringing her over here?" Caleb whispered angrily.

"Dunno, man, but you might wanna pull in your powers, you're radiating something major," Pogue whispered back.

Caleb shook his head. This wasn't him. He usually had no problem harnessing his powers, especially since everything had happened with Chase. There was something throwing him off, something causing his senses to run amuck.

"So, boys, Carmen's gonna hang with us, k? Anyone got any problems, they can leave," Reid spoke as they stopped in front of the table, looking directly at Pogue.

"Reid, I don't really think this is a good—" Caleb started, but stopped when Tyler and Kris approached the table.

"Having fun?" Carmen asked Kris, who was smiling.

"Oh my god," Kris whispered back. "Tyler is so cute!"

"Yeah," Carmen answered, looking directly at Pogue, "yeah he is."

"So," Reid spoke. "You girls up for a game of pool?"

Kris looked at Carmen, who shrugged her shoulders.

"Why not?" Carmen answered.

"Look who I found," another girl's voice came from behind them, approaching the table.

Carmen turned around to see a brunette and a blonde walking up to the table. The brunette walked over to Pogue and wrapped her arms around him. The blonde walked over to Caleb and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a kiss. Caleb seemed surprised to see that the blonde was here, Carmen noted. She smiled inwardly.

"Hi," the brunette spoke first. "I'm Kate and this is Sarah," she gestured to the blonde. "Haven't seen you around before."

"I'm Carmen and this is Kristine; nice to meet you. We don't get out much," Carmen explained.

"Speak for yourself," Kris joked, playfully hitting Carmen on the arm.

"All right, all right," Carmen admitted, holding her hands up in surrender. "_I'm _the bookworm."

Kate laughed, knowing how it was. Sarah was the more bookish of the two.

"Well, I guess this makes it truly even, hmm?" Reid asked, handing Carmen a pool cue. "You ladies game?"

Carmen shrugged her shoulders again.

"What do you say?" she asked Kate and Sarah.

"Hell yeah," Kate answered, walking around the pool table and taking the cue from Carmen.

Kate leaned over and lined the cue up with the ball, breaking the racked set.

"Not bad, babe," Pogue commented, putting one arm around her waist when she walked back to him before taking his shot.


	9. Truth Hurts

Carmen was amused. It was hard not to be. Pogue, no matter how cool he tried to play it, was very distracted. Whether it was by her mere presence or because of what had happened earlier, she wasn't sure, but…

"Somethin' on your mind, beautiful?" Reid asked, appearing suddenly at her side.

"So, Caleb and Sarah, huh?" Carmen asked, smiling.

Reid laughed inwardly. He had never understood it either himself. Sarah had seemed to be too clingy for Reid's liking, but Caleb didn't seem to mind.

"Yeah, interesting, huh?" Reid agreed.

"Just doesn't seem his type, ya know?" Carmen mentioned.

"Yeah," Reid repeated.

"You're up," Kris said, handing Carmen the pool stick.

Carmen took the stick and walked around the table, lining up her possible shots. Locating her best possible shot, she sized it up and began to take it.

'_Slow and steady, babe; slow and steady_,' she heard Reid's voice.

Her eyes connected with his and she stared at him as she took her shot, sinking it perfectly.

Reid whistled.

"Nice shot," he commented.

She smiled at him as she made her way to the other end of the table, her hand brushing his as she passed. Stopping in front of him, she eyed her shot and leaned over, taking it.

Reid stepped behind her, placing a hand on her hip. She turned around, shooting Reid a playful look.

"See something you like?" she asked.

'_My GOD_,' she heard through all the background noise. '_Could she be MORE of a slut?_'

She quickly spun around on her heels, catching the narrowed slits of Kate's eyes. She couldn't help but give her a huge smile, which Kate bitterly returned.

"You gonna shoot or what, Carmen?" Caleb asked.

"Sure, Danvers; I'll take my shot, after your boy's girl lightens up," she nodded to Kate, who spun on her heel and walked off.

"You shouldn't have done that," Pogue said, pointedly, walking after Kate.

"Why, cause now you have to deal with it?" Carmen yelled after him.

Caleb started to make his way towards Carmen, but Sarah tried to stop him, unsuccessfully.

"Don't do this, Carmen; not here," Caleb whispered, his voice commanding.

"Why, Caleb, afraid that I'm gonna piss off your girl and her friend? He doesn't want to be with Kate anyway," Carmen gestured to where Pogue and Kate had been standing only seconds before.

"You lying bitch," Kate said, walking up to Carmen and slapping her across the face.

Carmen's eyes flashed and Caleb saw it.

"Reid, get Carmen out of here, NOW," Caleb commanded.

"Let's go," Reid grabbed Carmen's arm, beginning to drag her away.

"No, why should _I_ have to leave. Just because Little Miss Priss can't accept the truth…" Caleb cut her off.

"Walk out with Reid now before I drag you out of here _myself_," he countered, towering over her with his presence.

"I'd like to see you try," she got out before being drug off by Reid.

"God, what a bitch," Sarah said, coming up behind Caleb and putting her hand on his arm. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he whispered. "How're Pogue and Kate?" He turned to see them at the other end of the pool table, arguing.

* * *

"Why didn't you say anything? Pogue, talk to me. This isn't you. You've been distant all day," Kate pleaded with him.

"Not right now, Kate. Please," Pogue didn't want to have this discussion.

"Then when, Pogue? When my boyfriend's life's in danger again? Huh?" she wanted to scream at him.

"Kate, not here," Pogue repeated, his voice lower.

"Oh my God," she whispered, the truth finally hitting her. "She was right, wasn't she? You don't want to be with me anymore."

Pogue only stood there, looking at the floor. He didn't say anything.

"Answer me damnit!" Kate yelled, tears beginning to stream down her face. "Answer me!"

Pogue couldn't do anything. He knew that no matter what he said, what he did, it wouldn't change the truth. Earlier that day he had meant to propose, but now—it was as if he didn't know who Kate was.

"You son of a bitch," she managed to get out. Her face was tear-stained and she could barely see out of her eyes. She turned on her heel and stopped only when Pogue grabbed her arm.

"Kate…I…I'm sorry," Pogue didn't know what else to say.

"Just let me go, Pogue. You've done enough damage. Just go," she was able to bring herself to say,

He released his grip on her arm and she continued walking.

"How could you do that to her, Pogue?" Sarah spat at him as she rushed after Kate to console her.

"What was that?" Caleb asked, putting his hand on Pogue's shoulder.

"We're over. Kate and I; we're really over," Pogue repeated, walking away.

Caleb just stared after him.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking, Carmen?" Reid yelled at her once they were away from everyone outside.

"What? I shouldn't tell the truth? Sorry, I won't bite my tongue. _You_ should know that," Carmen shot back.

"You need to reign in that temper of yours. Or else put it to good use," he answered.

"And what would that be?" she smiled cynically.

"I have some ideas," he responded, smiling back/

"Oh, really?"

"I need to talk to you, NOW," Pogue grabbed Carmen's arm, dragging her with him.

"EXCUSE ME. I'm in the middle of a conversation, here. Something I'm sure you're incapable of," she said sarcastically.

Pogue walked towards her, causing her to back up, until her back was against the wall.

"Something you needed, Parry?" Carmen asked.

"Why the hell would you do that? Do that to Kate, like you did? What kind of person are you?" Pogue was conflicted.

"Why? Because you didn't have the balls to. You guys have been over long before I came into town—" he cut her off.

"We were doing good! I was gonna ask her to marry me! And then--" he yelled.

"And then what? Huh, Pogue? Then what? You were_ comfortable _in the relationship, _that's_ why you were gonna propose! Not because you loved her! Because she was SAFE!" Carmen wanted him to see the truth, to _admit_ the truth.

Pogue backed up. Reflecting on the past eighteen months he and Kate had been together, he saw it now. They _had_ been comfortable…too comfortable. And now what? It was like they didn't even know each other. They had been growing apart from one another and neither had been able to—or wanted to—see it. Not until Carmen had brought it to light.

"See?" Carmen broke into his thoughts, seeing the look on his face. "Now you can go after what you really want."

She went to move past him and was surprised when he grabbed her arm. Taking a step back, she was even more surprised when she found her lips meeting his.


	10. Confusion

This wasn't him. He wasn't "that guy". He didn't break up with one girl then immediately get with another girl. Especially not girls like Carmen. He preferred them semi-quiet, not quite as bold as Carmen. Yet he found himself drawn to her. She had this magnetic personality and he found himself being drawn in.

She broke the kiss first.

"I didn't mean…" she said breathlessly.

"I'm sorry…I don't know…" was all he could get out.

That's when he saw Caleb. He was standing off to the side of Nicky's, looking at Pogue and Carmen.

"I should—I should go," Carmen whispered, walking away. Pogue let her.

Caleb practically ran up to him, shoving his back against the wall.

"What the hell was that?" he growled.

"Get off me, man!" Pogue shot back, pushing Caleb off him.

"What the hell are you thinking? Carmen?!?! After the shit she pulled inside with Kate? And YOU! You didn't even correct her!" Caleb was pissed.

"It was the truth, Caleb. Kate and I…we haven't been _us_ for awhile. It just took someone else to bring to the surface," Pogue explained.

"You mean it took someone like Carmen," Caleb countered. "How could you, man? We don't even know who the hell she is!"

"But I do," Pogue answered.

Caleb stared at him.

Seeing the look of confusion on Caleb's face, Pogue repeated, "I know who she is."

* * *

She almost ran into Reid walking back into Nicky's.

"Whoa, Carmen, you okay?" he asked.

She paused, looking at him, then kissed him. It was nice, pleasant, even sensual; not hungry and passionate like a moment ago with Pogue.

He broke off the kiss and held her in his arms.

"What…what was that about?" he dared to ask.

"I…I can't… I have to go," Carmen stammered, walking back out the way she'd come in.

"Carmen! Wait, how're you…" he yelled, then dropped his voice, "gonna get home."

Tyler came up behind him and clapped him on the back.

"Guess you got your work cut out for you, huh?" he smiled.

"Yeah," Reid answered, distracted.

"Beer?" Tyler offered, holding up a bottle.

"I could use one, yeah. Thanks," Reid answered, taking one of the bottles and clinking it against Tyler's.

"So, she's cute, huh?" Tyler asked, gesturing to Kristine who was sitting at the bar, sipping a drink.

"Yeah, she is. She seems good for you, too. I say go for it," Reid responded.

"Maybe in time, man, but you know that's not my style. That's more you. You seem different with Carmen, though…more involved," Tyler commented.

"Yeah…she's, um…she's complicated, bro…she's uh, she's involved," Reid admitted more to himself than to Tyler.

"Involved? Like with someone, or what?" Tyler was curious.

"No, involved, like complicated. She's got a lot going on and doesn't want to let anyone in," Reid explained.

"Yeah, I noticed that," Tyler agreed, taking a swig of his beer and walking over to Kristine, leaving Reid to his thoughts.

* * *

Pogue saw Carmen practically run out of Nicky's. Kate and Sarah had headed home a while back and he had just got done receiving a tongue-lashing from Caleb. He needed to clear his head. Apparently so did she. He started to make his way towards her again, however, hoping to clear up things from earlier.

"Don't, Pogue," she said, even though he was still a good forty feet away.

"Carmen, you need to talk to someone. You can't keep doing this on your own," he offered, his voice quiet and calm.

"So, what, you think you know me now? Just because we kissed? What the hell gives you the right?" Carmen was getting pissed.

"Carmen, I saw. I know…I know about your ancestors," Pogue began.

"You know what? Go to hell," Carmen couldn't take it anymore. She began to walk away. She needed to clear her head.

"Carmen…wait. Please. You should talk to someone, before…" Pogue started, but Carmen was so pissed she cut him off.

"Before what, Pogue?" she yelled, walking further away from the crowd outside Nicky's. "Before I lose control? Before I say something I'll regret? Before Caleb tries to shut me down? Before what, huh? Before…"

Her emotions and powers were so out of control that Pogue found it hard to shield himself from her growing destructive nature. He knew she was about to overload and could tell she wouldn't be able to handle it. She was too erratic, too unstable. There was no outlet for her powers here, and sooner or later, something was going to happen.

It was sooner. As she continued to get more upset, the stronger her powers became until she was on overload.

Then she passed out.

* * *

Reid nearly dropped his beer when he felt it. Pogue's powers radiating strongly, calling him—calling ALL the Sons—to his location.

Reid and Tyler got there at the same time to see that Caleb and Pogue were already leaning over a fallen Carmen.

"Finally someone else's turn," Reid joked.

"Shut up, Garwin," Pogue shot back.

"Got a thing for Carmen, Parry?" Reid smiled.

"Like you don't," Tyler nudged Reid in the side.

"I think we all need to focus on what to do here," Caleb said, always the logical one.

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?" Reid asked.

"Tyler, take the Mustang and take Kristine home. Meet us back at the vault. We need to get Carmen there. We'll need your SUV to do it," Caleb responded, handing Tyler his keys and receiving Tyler's in exchange.

"Help me get her up," Caleb said to Pogue. "Go grab the vehicle," he added, tossing Reid the keys.

Once Reid had left, he asked the question no one else wanted to ask.

"What happened?"

"She lost control, Caleb. She freaked out and I tried talking to her and she lost it. Her powers were wild, unharnessed. I didn't know what else to do…" Pogue explained.

"There was nothing you _could_ do. First you, then Reid; it's no wonder she couldn't control it anymore. It takes a lot for someone to make one of us fall, much less to recover from it," Caleb answered.

"Yeah, maybe," Pogue commented, half-heartedly.

"Thinkin' about Kate?" Caleb dared, dreading the answer.

"Yeah," Pogue lied, wanting to avoid another "lecture".

Reid arrived moments later in the SUV. The three of them loaded Carmen into the backseat where Pogue sat with her; Caleb and Reid were in the passenger's and driver's seat, respectively.

They made their way, in silence, to the vault.


	11. The Duel

"So did they know what was wrong with Carmen? She's been acting a little strange lately," Kris admitted to Tyler on her way home.

"I think she just passed out. Strange, how, though?" he dared, not knowing how much Kris knew.

"Just not like herself. She passed out earlier today and said it was because her sugar was too low. I didn't believe her but I didn't want to upset her even more, so I let it go. I made her eat something before we left, so she should've been fine," Kris went on.

"Maybe just the stress got to her. I mean, there was some pretty high tension going on at Nicky's tonight," Tyler offered, hoping it would set Kris's mind at ease.

"Yeah, maybe that's it. At least, I hope so. They'll call when they know something, right?" he could tell Kris was worried.

"Oh, yeah, definitely. They wouldn't keep Carmen's best friend in the dark," he answered, her hand in his.

They continued to rest of the drive in silence, only the music from the radio playing softly in the background.

* * *

She awoke halfway through the trip to their destination. She didn't stir, not wanting to interrup the Sons, only taking in their knowledge.

'Why did this have to happen?' she could hear Reid. 'What was that kiss about? I mean, she's a great kisser, but _I_ usually make the first move. But it was nice.'

He rambled on and on into more random thoughts.

'Why couldn't I think of anything to say?" she found Pogue's voice amidst everything. 'I should've said something to Kate. She deserved better than what happened. She deserved a reason. And why, oh why, did I kiss Carmen? I mean, of all people, Carmen?!? I'm not attracted...okay, well maybe a little, but she's not my type! Yet I find myself being drawn to her.'

She couldn't help but smile, but she stayed exactly how she was, not wanting to give herself away.

She focused, hard, trying to hear Caleb over the other two. It was surprising...she wasn't getting anything. Not a single thought...just silence.

She felt a sharp stab of pain in the back of her head, like a burning sensation. Her eyes bolted open and met his black ones.

"Holy sh---!" she yelled, sitting upright.

* * *

His eyes had been black since he sensed her trying to pry into his inner thoughts. He had made it subtle, so as to keep the others from sensing anything.

It was his turn to focus. He focused on the back of her head, the nape of her neck to be more exact, and began his work.

Moments later he had achieved his goal...she bolted upright, proving what he had already known...she had regained consciousness.

"Holy sh---!" he heard her yell, as well as the other two, but he knew Reid wouldn't look away from the road and Pogue was in his own element, a million miles away.

Their eyes met for a split second---his black ones full of fury and her green ones---flashing wild with fear. It was the first time he had seen fear in her eyes...and he _liked_ it. Then she continued to stare.

Carmen's yelling had brought Pogue back to reality. He saw her, now sitting next to him, staring Caleb down. He looked at Caleb and knew at once this could not be good.

"Caleb!" Pogue yelled, trying to break his concentration.

"Let him be, Pogue. He's just watching," Reid stated.

"Oh, yeah? Why don't _you_ look at him? Tell me he's watching then," Pogue shot back.

"Yo, Danvers, knock this shit out!" Pogue tried again.

"Caleb," Reid reached over, trying to get Caleb's attention. Caleb just pushed his arm away, his eyes never leaving Carmen's glare.

"CALEB!" It was Reid's turn to yell.

The back window blew out, causing a fresh gust of wind to enter the vehicle.

"DANVERS, knock it off!" Pogue yelled as a side window blew out, shards of glass flying into the car.

Reid stopped the car at this point and both he and Pogue stared at Caleb and Carmen, who were obviously in a battle of wills. So far, neither was winning and things were getting more dangerous.

Pogue's eyes went black and he focused on Carmen, knowing Caleb was out of reach.

"Pogue, NO!" Reid yelled, knowing it was no use, his own eyes turning to black.

The two of them communicated amongst everything else going on.

'The car.' Reid channeled to Pogue. 'Follow my lead.'

Ever so slowly, the SUV started to rise from the ground. Hovering about thirty feet from the ground, Caleb and Carmen were still battling, neither one willing to back down.

"NOW!" Reid yelled and the SUV slammed back down to the ground with enough force to break both Carmen's and Caleb's concentration.

"What the hell?" Carmen yelled, shooting Reid and Pogue an "if looks could kill" glare.

Instantly both were glad they couldn't be without one hell of a fight.

Pogue was the first one out of the car. He yanked open the passenger's side door and drug Caleb out by his jacket collar.

"What the fuck's your problem, Parry?" he demanded.

"MY problem?!? You better check yourself, brother," Pogue was tired of cleaning up Caleb's mess.

"Or what, huh?" Caleb taunted.

"What's gotten into you, man? You're not yourself," Pogue had never seen Caleb this out of control before.

"Why don't you ask your girl? Or wait, maybe I should call her Reid's girl. After all, she's too much of a woman for you," Caleb laughed.

"GARWIN!" Pogue yelled above the wind.

"He can't help you now, boy," Caleb dropped his voice and narrowed his eyes, which were now turning black.

Out of nowhere, Caleb got hit with a white ball of energy that knocked him a good fifty feet. He lay on the ground, not moving.

"No, but I can," Carmen whispered before dropping to her knees, her body exhausted.

"What the hell was that?" Pogue dared to ask, although from the look on Carmen's face, he wasn't sure he wanted the answer.

"That's what happens when you let anger take over and need to be stopped," she answered, reaching for Pogue's hand to help her to her feet.

"Anger? What was he angry about?"

"Are you kidding me? What _shouldn't_ he be angry about? Don't think I don't know he chewed your ass out when I left. And Sarah. He was surprised to see her there. Obviously a sign of 'trouble in paradise'. He didn't like seeing Reid with me; how many more reasons do you need?" she questioned.

"So, what are you saying? That Caleb let his anger control him?" Reid had heard the last little bit of their conversation.

"EXACTLY. It's what's known as the Darkness," Carmen began.

"The WHAT?" Pogue and Reid asked simultaneously.

"The Darkness. It was surprised to have been contained centuries ago by my ancestors, but now it's obviously been released," she paused, seeing the confusion on the faces of both Pogue and Reid.

"So, what does it want?" Reid asked.

"Plain and simple. It wants to destroy the last of the remaining bloodline of the Salem Witches," Carmen answered, matter-of-factly. "In other words..."

"It's after you," Pogue finished for her.

Carmen stared at him in awe.

"How did you...?" she couldn't finish her question.

"How did I what? Know? I tried telling you, outside Nicky's when you were upset. I figured it out. I know who you are," Pogue told her.

"Oh you do, huh? I guarantee you, Pogue Parry, what you _think_ you know, only scratches the surface," she turned on her heel and headed over to Caleb.

"You really think that's a good idea, Matthews?" Pogue yelled after her.

"I can handle him," she answered back.

"It's not you I'm worried about," Pogue commented under his breath.

"I'll take care of her," Reid commented, heading after her.

Pogue stopped him. Reid shot him a look of confusion and disagreement mixed together.

"It's her fight, not ours," he explained. "This is something she has to do. ALONE."

He then pondered how he had become so insightful. It was almost as if everyone has switched roles. Caleb was now the reckless one, Reid was the calm and collected one, Tyler was the carefree one, and Pogue...well, he had become the voice of reason.

* * *

He could feel her coming closer. A smile spread across his face, a truly evil smile. A few more steps and she would be right where he wanted her. She stopped before she reached that point. His smile turned into a scowl.

"Dmitri," she called.

His eyes opened to reveal an ice blue color. He allowed the owner of the body whom he had taken over to get up. He felt a little unsteady on his feet, but quickly regained his footing.

"Grace," he hissed, knowing only one person called him by that name.

"Leave her alone. She has done no harm to you," Carmen was speaking, yet she wasn't herself.

Caleb, as Dmitri, scoffed.

"She's done no harm to me, ha," he mocked. "That _bitch_ of a fourth generation of yours just blew me away...with powers she got from _YOU_."

"She's not a threat. Leave her alone," 'Grace' commanded.

"NEVER," 'Dmitri' hissed back.

"Then go back from which you came!" Carmen released a string of fire from her grasp, pulling on Dmitri's soul which possessed Caleb's body.

"I will not give up so easily. Feel my wrath! Acknowledge me!" Caleb yelled, releasing his own powers, unleashing his fury.

Carmen couldn't fight much more. She was still weak from her overload at Nicky's, then the battle with Caleb earlier, now having to channel her great-great-great-grandmother; it wasn't easy. She knew Dmitri was about to wim.

Just when she thought she couldn't hold him off any longer, she felt it stop. Opening her glowing green eyes, they were met with his ice blue ones.

"The end is here, my dear. Do not try to fight. Resistance is futile. Accept it for what it is. Give in," he told her.

He placed his mouth over hers and she felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach before she blacked out.


	12. History

When she came to, she was lying on a stone slab surrounded by fire.

"What the...?" she started to bolt up, but, feeling lightheaded, decided that might not be the best decision.

She tried to turn her head to the side to take in her surroundings, but found she was unable to do so.

A figure cast a shadow in the flames, bringing her to the realization that she was not alone.

"What do you want?" she questioned.

"We have what we want...WITCH," the voice came back, cold and calculating.

"What?" she asked, still unsure as to what was going on.

"You will pay for all the innocents whose blood you have shed," the calculating voice spoke again.

"I...I know you...your voice...it's so..." she struggled to place it.

"Familiar?" the voice finished for her. "Maybe that's because you know the owner. Think hard, Grace..." the voice faded.

'Grace? They think I'm my great-great-great-gran! No! They can't do this! They...they...no!' Carmen fought to gain control.

'My child. No harm will come to you, this I promise you. Trust me,' a quiet, calming voice in the back of her head spoke.

"Grace Marie Cummings! You have been tried by the private council in the town of Salem and found guilty, by the same, of being a witch and practicing witchcraft.You will hereby receive your sentence...death!" the cold, calculating voice continued.

"Go to hell," she found herself saying.

"After you," the man's voice was so close she could've sworn he was right next to her.

She felt the surface that she was on begin to be raised upright and began to feel the flames licking at her feet,

Then she saw him. The cold, ice blue eyes that were so familiar to her she could've picked them out in the middle of a snowstorm. He smiled a wickedly, devilish smile, and instantly she knew his inner thoughts.

"Damn you, Dmitri Nikolav. Damn you and all of your offspring. For centuries from now, your descendants will be cursed. And when the day comes, I will exact my revenge," Grace vowed.

"You do that, my dear, You just try," Dmitri laughed.

Carmen felt the flames starting to climb higher as her flesh started to burn. She opened her mouth to scream, but no cound came out.

* * *

Her eyes snapped open and flashed only for a second. She bolted upright, no longer lightheaded, and observed her surroundings.

"Car...Carmen?" she heard a voice say softly, but was unable to see through a fog that covered her eyes.

"Carmen, you okay?" the voice asked again and she focused. It was Reid.

"I'm fine," she answered coldly, taking in her surroundings.

"The others are waiting," he commented, waiting for her to follow him.

"After you, handsome," she smiled, seemingly normal.

Reid opened the door to the cault where she could see flames dancing on the walls.

"Pyro much?" she joked.

Reid smiled slightly. There was something different about her. Ever since her battle with Caleb when he had been possessed by the 'Darkness', as Carmen had called it, she had been different. He wouldn't tell her ever, but when she had been unconscious, she had spoken. The words were dark, ominous, not at all like the Carmen he was used to.

"Hey, Carmen, you okay?" he dared again.

"Never better," she answered, shooting him an award-winning smile, her eyes flashing freely.

She had better control of that and Reid knew it. She hadn't risked things before, like she was now.

" 'Fraid I can't handle myself, Reid? Does Caleb think I can't be trusted?" she taunted him, walking up to him seductively.

Reid was sure, now, that this wasn't Carmen. Knowing what she was capable of and knowing she was erratic, he wasn't sure how to handle her.

"How do you _want_ to handle me, Reid?" she kept advancing towards him, biting her bottom lip.

"Carmen, this---this isn't you. What's going on?" he tried.

"This isn't me?" she laughed, putting her hands up and gesturing to her surroundings. "Maybe this is more me than you'll ever know. Did ya think about that, Reid? Maybe I was just wound up so tight that I didn't know how to have fun?" she paused, then continued to approach him. "Maybe I'm ready now." she whispered into his ear.

"Carmen, stop," he whispered, knowing if this continued he wouldn't be able to continue stopping her advances.

"Do you really _want_ me to stop, Reid?" she asked, running her hand through his hair.

He closed his eyes, taking in the smell of her perfume. He knew he had to stop.

"Yo, Garwin!" they both heard his name called.

"Yeah," Reid answered back, his eyes never leaving Carmen's.

"You comin' or what? Caleb's getting pissed," Pogue called back.

"What else is new?" Reid grumbled under his breath.

"What, a party and I'm not invited?" Carmen pouted, slowly beginning to make her way forward.

'Hell, even pouting she looks damn good,' Reid thought, forgetting for a split second Carmen could read his thoughts.

"Well thank you, Mr. Garwin. I could look better, however," she teased.

"ENOUGH. Reid, I thought I told you to bring her straight here," Caleb pulled Carmen off of Reid.

Almost instantly, Caleb released her, as if he'd been burned.

"Pogue! Tyler! In here, NOW!" he yelled, his voice holding a sense of urgency.

Instantly Carmen was surrounded by all four Sons.

"So many choices, so little time," she giggled.

Pogue shot Caleb a look of confusion. Caleb shook his head in return, before looking to Reid, whose eyes were still glued to Carmen.

"What'd you do with Carmen?" Tyler seemed to be the only one understanding what was going on.

She laughed.

"You would do good to take your pointers from the youngest Son, rather than one who knows nothing."

"You wanna start something?" Caleb challenged.

Her smile faded just as quickly as it had appeared.

"You would do well to walk away now, Mr. Danvers," she spoke.

"And you would do better to keep your mouth shut," Pogue jumped in.

She spun around, her eyes ice blue.

Pogue's voice caught in his throat and he understood immediately.

"Guys, we're too late," he commented.

Carmen turned around, looking at each one of them individually.

"Hello, boys," she said before all four of them collapsed.


	13. Memories

Pogue was the first to come to. He sat up slowly, noticing the other Sons still unconscious.

"Follow me," he heard a voice whisper behind him, helping him to his feet.

Once he had regained his composure, he turned to see Carmen holding her hand out to him. He studied her face, her eyes, her demeanor.

"It's okay. You can trust me. He's gone," she answered his unspoken question.

Still wary, he put his defenses up and kept his senses alert to the slightest change in anything.

"What's all this about, Carmen?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I had to do it."

He _definitely_ wasn't liking where this was going.

"What do you mean?" he asked, bracing himself for the answer.

"I lied," she said simply, causing him to do a double take.

"You what?!? About which part?" Pogue was beginning to get furious.

"Before you go off on me, hear me out," Carmen said, her defenses up as well, knowing there was no easy way to say this. "It was the only way to show them everything."

"What do you mean, everything?"

Carmen sighed, knowing this was gonna take some time.

"Follow me, please. There's something you should see," she requested, holding out her hand, which he took carefully.

They began making their way through the Danvers's vault, stopping only here and there when she commented on either the armour or the weaponry she saw.

Pogue noticed as he continued deeper and deeper into the vault that he had never been there before. It was strange, seeing as he and Caleb had explored every inch of this vault, including ALL the hidden passages, as children. Yet this was an area he had never seen before. He wondered why.

Carmen paused before a large stone door, turning to face him.

"Before you enter this room, you _must_ have an open mind. Without that, everything that you think you know will cease to exist," Carmen explained, unsure of how Pogue would take what he was about to see.

Pogue himself was unsure of how he would handle this knowledge as well. He figured the only thing he could do is have the best open mind possible.

"Okay. Anything else I should be aware of?" he dared.

"Just don't do anything stupid," she answered, shrugging her shoulders.

"I'll try," he said sarcastically.

"Parry, I mean it," there was no lightness to her voice, so he understood.

"I got it."

"Here goes. I hope you're ready," she sighed, lifting the wrought iron handle and pushing the door open.

A mixture of bright blue and bright green light hit Pogue's eyes, temporarily blinding him. He shielded his eyes before entering. He had failed to see the plaque to the right of the doors that simply stated: 'Powers Uncontrolled: Enter At Your Own Risk'.

* * *

Reid, Caleb and Tyler all began to come to around the same time.

The first to stir was Reid, who started holding his head due to its throbbing. He looked around, noticing his surroundings and remembering what had happened.

"Carmen?" he called out, his voice echoing.

A bright flash of light blinded him temporarily then disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

When he was able to see again, he wasn't where he thought he would be. Instead of seeing the vault around him, there was nothing but white.

A little girl passed him, running to a dark-haired man.

"Gramps, Gramps!" he heard her squeal.

"Carmen, my princess!" the young man said.

Reid took a deep breath. He was seeing her memories, There was obviously something important he needed to get from this.

"Look what I can do, Gramps!" young Carmen said, forming a smooth ball of ice before his eyes.

"Good for you, my dear," the young man patted her on the back. "Keep practicing and someday you'll be able to do this."

He formed a ball of ice in one hand and a ball of fire in the other, then combined the two without the ball of ice melting.

"Whoa, cool!" Carmen squealed in delight.

"Come now, my dear. We must go see your Gran," he took her by the hand, leading her with him.

He looked back before the memory faded and Reid saw his eyes. They flashed ice blue for a second, causing Reid to catch his breath. Instantly he knew what Carmen had been trying to tell him.

He wanted to attack the memory, to make her realize that one day the same man who was so kind and loving to her was also the one that would one day try to kill her.

* * *

Caleb awoke, groggy, feeling like he got hit over the head with a 2 x 4. Seeing the stone walls of the vault around him, he looked around for the others, but noticed there was no one around.

"Guys?" he called, getting to his feet.

"Hello?" he called again.

He heard noise coming from one of the hallways, so he started to make his way towards it.

"In order for this to work, it has to look real, Grace," he heard a man's voice.

"Dmitri, I'm not sure I can do this," the woman answered.

He flashed back momentarily to when he and Carmen had been in Tyler's SUV and he had become possessed by another being. Could this be the same Dmitri and Grace? He continued to listen.

"I told you..._nothing_ will happen to you. Sarah will be fine," Dmitri tried to calm her nerves.

Caleb heard footsteps coming from the corner. Apparently so did Grace and Dmitri, for they instantly put space between them.

"Witch!" Dmitri yelled, slapping Grace across the face. "How _dare_ you enter these gates! How did you get in here?"

"I shall never reveal my ways to the blind," Grace spat back. "May the town of Salem and all those who don't believe burn in hell for all eternity!"

"Blasphemer!" Dmitri yelled, grabbing her by the arms. "Payment payable by death!"

Caleb watched as Dmitri drug Grace out by her arms and bound her wrists together, although he never left where he was standing.

He continued to watch as the scenery changed right before hie eyes, from the family vault to the town square.

"Grace Marie Cummings!" he found himself saying. "You have been tried by the private council in the town of Salem and found guilty, by the same, of being a witch and practicing witchcraft. You will receive your sentence...death!"

"Go to hell," Grace's eyes narrowed at him. If looks could kill, he would be dead.

"After you," he snickered, approaching the wood pile below her and lighting it.

He watched as they tilted the stake she was tied to until she was upright. He could sense her realize that everything he had told her had been a lie. He smiled, a truly evil smile.

"Damn you, Dmitri Nikolav. For centuries to come your descendants will be cursed. And when the day comes, I will exact my revenge," Grace vowed.

"You do that, my dear. You just try," he laughed.

He watched as his first, and only, memory of Grace Cummings turned to ash.


	14. The Return

The door flung open and Pogue flew out, landing against the far wall with a thud.

Carmen rushed out the door after him, slamming it shut behind her. She then ran to where Pogue lay, the wind knocked out of him.

"I told you not to do anything stupid," she commented, helping him to his feet once he could breathe again.

"Yeah, well, people shouldn't talk about shit they know nothing about," Pogue responded, still pissed.

"We should go check on the others," Carmen stated, remembering they were still in the foyer; or not, as the case was with two of the Sons.

"So what the hell was that supposed to tell me?" Pogue questioned.

"Everything will come together once all four Sons are back together. Each of you was shown information that you needed," Carmen explained.

"What about you? Do you even know how Caleb will react when he finds out?" Pogue dared.

"He'll just have to trust me when I say I'm nothing like him," Carmen commented.

"I think you'll have to do more than tell him once he finds out. You're going to have to prove it. And, no offense, but so far, your track record hasn't been so great," Pogue admitted.

"Well, I guess we should brace ourselves, then, shouldn't we?"

"YOU should. I'm still not sure _I_ trust you myself."

"Gee, thanks. How am I supposed to convince Caleb to if you don't," Carmen responded, as the two of them made their way back to the foyer.

Neither one of them saw the black figure that stepped out from the shadows behind them.

* * *

Tyler, Caleb and Reid had all made their way back to the foyer and were talking amongst themselves when Carmen and Pogue reappeared.

"What the hell did you do to us?" Caleb growled.

"I didn't do anything to you that you couldn't handle," Carmen answered.

"She's related to Chase," Tyler whispered softly.

"What?!?" Caleb and Reid both yelled and Carmen found herself staring at two pairs of black eyes along with one pair of ice blue ones.

"Oh, shit," she whispered under her breath, putting up a barrier around herself, knowing that Pogue could protect himself.

"Hello, Carmen. We meet once more," Caleb snickered.

"You don't belong here," Carmen hissed back.

"The hell I don't," he was tired of hearing this bullshit. "I'm here to reclaim what was taken from me two years ago."

"You'll never get it," Pogue growled.

"Oh, I see Caleb's loyal friend is still around. How is that pretty little girlfriend of yours, anyway?" he taunted.

"Leave Kate out of this," Pogue's eyes were now black as well.

"You know, she was so good when she was pissed at you," Chase continued taunting Pogue.

"Chase, knock it OFF!" Carmen yelled.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Chase shook his head. "You should know not to mess with me by now."

He raised his hands above his head and slabs of stone began to fall from the ceiling.

The other Sons jumped out of the way, but Carmen stood her ground.

"Chase Collins...if Andrei could see you now...!" she yelled, trying to throw him off.

"If Andrei could see me...hahaha. Andrei's dead. But _you_, Dmitri's been _dying_ to see you," Chase was enjoying every minute of this.

"Oh, I bet he had," Carmen retorted, sarcastically.

"In fact, he sends his apologies that he couldn't destroy you himself. He always thought it was such a shame, a beautiful woman like Grace meeting her demise because she was dumb enough to fall for a Putnam."

"How _dare_ you!" Carmen seethed. "She was my great-great-great-grandmother and one of the strongest women I've ever known!"

"Yet she met her end by the hand of the most powerful warlock to date," Chase's voice lowered. "As will you."

"Leave her alone Collins! Your fight's not with her; it's with us!" Reid yelled as the three remaining Sons formed a triangle of protection around Carmen.

"Au contraire, Mr. Garwin. The Putnam family's only mission since the beginning of time has been to wipe out all the remaining descendants of the Salem Witches. And it will be complete...once Carmen is dead," Chase smiled a wicked smile.

"But Dmitri loved..." Chase cut her off.

"Dmitri Nikolav loved no one until he had a son. He was so conceited that he started a tradition...the destruction of the remaining Salem Witches," Chase began to explain.

"Why are you telling me this?" Carmen asked, hurt in her eyes.

"So you can finally hear exactly what happened to your beloved family...just like I'll describe, in detail, what I will do to you before I kill you," Chase continued evilly.

"Leave her alone, Chase," Pogue stepped in.

"Oh, knights in shining armour all around, eh? Well, we'll just have to take care of that, won't we?"

"NO!" Carmen yelled, stepping in front of the Sons, pushing them back with her powers. "This is our fight. It's between you and me."

With that, Chase threw her in the air, slamming her against the stone wall.

* * *

Pogue, Reid and Tyler all stood, speechless, unable to do anything. When they saw what Chase/Caleb had done to Carmen, they tried to fight the barrier.

As Carmen sunk to the floor, the barrier fell.

Pogue was the first to attack. He began throwing daggers at Chase, who was easily blocking them.

Reid followed with a round of energy balls which Chase was also able to deflect.

Tyler, the youngest, but smartest, gave his theory a shot. He snuck up behind Chase, hoping to catch him off-guard.

He was successful. A craftsman at making swords, he took one of his finest pieces and rammed it through Chase/Caleb's gut. Chase's eyes went wide, then he disappeared. Before the other three Sons, Caleb's body fell, lifeless.


End file.
